Bad news for Nigerian football as the former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, has lost his bid to retain his seat in the FIFA Council.
He lost out in the elections conducted earlier on Wednesday at the 14th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt.
Pinnick’s fate, and that of several others, were determined by African football delegates, who cast their ballots in a high-stakes election to choose the continent’s representatives on the powerful FIFA Council.
According to reports, the winning names were called one after another, with Fouzi Lekjaa topping the list with 49 votes. Hani Abou Rida and Djibrilla Hima Hamidou followed, both earning 35 votes; while Ahmed Yahya made it with 29, leaving just one final spot.
Souleiman Hassan Waberi of Djibouti clinched it—also with 29 votes. Pinnick came agonizingly close with 28, falling short by just one vote.
Poor Pinnick. Having served in the FIFA Council since 2021, he had hoped to extend his influence in global football governance during the election. But fate played a tricky one on him as he was edged out at the final hurdle.
Also unsuccessful were: Andrew Kamanga (19 votes), Yacine Diallo (18 votes), and Augustin Senghor (13 votes) even as Mathurin de Chacus withdrew before the final count.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, CAF’s 5th Vice President, Kanizat Ibrahim of Comoros Island emerged victorious with 30 votes, while Lydia Nsekera (13 votes) and Isha Johansen of Sierra Leone (7 votes) crashed out.
With Africa allotted seven seats on the FIFA Council, including one reserved for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Pinnick’s exit marked a shift in the continent’s football leadership.
Each of the 54 CAF Member Associations cast five votes in the male category and one vote in the female category to determine winners of the coveted seats.
